Lovers Arcana
by KaibaCopter
Summary: I can't find enough on one of my favorite couples, so I contribute with a Junpei and Yukari romance fanfic. Yukari wakes up on the wrong side of the dorm. Her dreams came true but not in the way you think. And, of course, it's all Junpei's fault. Muahaha!
1. Perspective

**Hey...it's been a while. But I now write with a cause. I can't find any fanart (and scarce few fanfics) featuring a couple I ship from persona 3—Junpei and Yukari. Look, they argue all the time and it's said that you fight with people who you care about a lot. Or something like that. Everyone says boys are mean to girls because they like them, right? Okay well if you're reading this then you probably support this shipping so kudos to you. As for me, I'll get started with the story, since I've been planning it all day. P.S. It's rated M _for a reason!!_**

**Lovers Arcana**

**Chapter 1**

_**Perspective**_

Yukari Takeba felt her mind return to consciousness after a very strange dream. She kept her eyes closed, debating if she wanted to go back to sleep or not. It was a disturbing dream, indeed, but she _was_ curious to know how it ended. She felt a cold breeze flow over the upper half of her body. She figured she would at least pull the blankets back up before returning to sleep. Her hand tiredly moved down near her waist, expecting to grasp the soft fabric of the plush, pink comforter on her bed. Instead, she felt something completely different.

It was a rough, thin cloth instead, which her body immediately responded to with a wave of total awareness. She opened her eyes to see a plain white ceiling, which she often woke to see. But something about it felt different. Maybe it was the way she was laying off to the side of the bed a little more than she normally would've. Or maybe it was because the sun was at a different angle. Her brain sparked the worry that she might have slept the day away, so she reached up blindly to where her clock was. Or rather, should have been.

What Yukari brought before her eyes was no clock at all. It was a wireless video game controller. _What the hell is this doing here?_ She asked herself as she went to sit up. As soon as she did, she finally noticed a weight across her hips. It wasn't too heavy to move, but heavy enough to notice. She looked down, her eyes widening in horror. Wrapped around her waist was, undeniably, an arm–a man's arm no less. Before she could even turn to see who's arm it was, the sunlight peeked from behind the clouds again, shining in her eyes. She turned towards the window as the sunlight dimmed once more, seeing a half opened curtain with tasteless fabric.

Her heart skipped a beat, now that she concluded this was not her room. She looked around the room. It was obviously in the dorm, clearly a guy's room. Most likely the guy who had his arm around her. She had a hunch, but she wanted to gather as much evidence against it as she could before seeing who he was. The only guys in the dorm were; Akihiko, Ken, Junpei and Minato. It clearly wasn't Ken because he was only a kid. It likely wasn't Akihiko either, since he'd have boxing stuff all over and his room was probably clean—unlike this room. Minato's room was possibly clean too but Yukari wouldn't know. She hadn't been in there since the night that shadow attacked the dorm. As for Junpei, his room was definitely messy but then again, there was _no reason_ for her to be in Junpei's room...on his bed...with him.

Yukari had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach just thinking about it. She had really started to feel towards Minato and he seemed to feel the same to her. But maybe that was just him being charming. Maybe it was only her imagination. She'd never gotten to find out. And now she probably never would. Not if she was here with Junpei. She bit her lip. It couldn't be Junpei. It just couldn't. She finally decided to prove this to herself the only way she really could. She followed the arm with her eyes, which was still gently curled around her waist, up to a face.

Yukari had always hated being wrong. But what she felt at this very moment was far greater than hate. A dead asleep Junpei laid next to her, his hat still on, though very askew. At first, she was going to summon Io and sic her on him. But knowing that was out of the question—due to Io's size and the fact that she didn't exactly want anyone to know she was there—she decided to do something a little more rational.


	2. Not today, Stupei

**Hey, hope that last chapter left you on edge, wondering what "rational" is to Yukari. I, for one, find her initial reaction amusing.**

**Chapter 2**

_**Not today, Stupei**_

Fueled by her fury, Yukari gripped Junpei's arm, which was still around her waist, and pried it off in a rather violent manner. He didn't wake though, hardly even stirred. Annoyed by his lack of reaction, Yukari shoved him off of the bed. Sure it was his bed, but then it was also his floor. He fell with a nice, sound _thud_, much to Yukari's satisfaction.

Junpei thought he'd just been devoured by a shadow when his body made contact with the cold floor, since that was inevitably what was about to happen in his dream. In his dream, he had outsmarted everyone's favorite blue-haired hero. He alone had saved the world, became the new obsession of all Akihiko's fan girls and even Mitsuru found him to be charming. Of course that was just dream world. None of that could ever happen. But then again, they say dreams can come true. But not really. Besides, even if he never achieved any of those dreams, last night he probably got even better, until te end, of course. Because last night was absolutely real.

He now comprehended that he was, in fact, on the floor. He snatched his hat up off the floor, sat up and set it straight. Only when he'd stood up, did he remember Yukari sitting there on his bed, looking totally pissed about _something_. Junpei smiled, finding her expression rather cute.

"Oh hey, Yuka-tan." He said, completely oblivious to the disdain radiating from her. When she just remained still with a glare fixed on him, he stared back at her, clueless. After a minute or so of this, he leaned over the bed and poked her, seeing if she'd do anything

"Yuka-tan" He repeated, in a sing-song manner.

"Stupei..." Yukari growled finally, through gritted teeth.

Junpei just blinked at her, his expression a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Somethin' wrong?" He asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.

One of those two words triggered all hell to break loose, or maybe he just had it coming. Yukari grabbed Junpei by the collar, threw him down against the bed and pinned him there. Having totally not expected this, Junpei just kind of let her, not really knowing what to think.

"Why did I wake up here?" She asked, not wanting to say "in your room" because she herself probably wouldn't have been able to bear it. Junpei's expression turned from confusion to a smirk. "Probably because you fell asleep." He said as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Why would I fall asleep _here_?" She asked, slightly irritated that he didn't give the type of answer she'd wanted.

"Because you were tired?" He completely ignored the "here".

"Why would I be tired?" She asked but instead of responding, Junpei just lightly grabbed her arms and moved them so he was no longer pinned, a task that seemed all too easy for him. He sat up so his eyes were level with hers.

"You don't remember?" He asked quietly.

"Remember what?" Yukari asked, not wanting to dwell on the small talk. She only wanted the answers an that was exactly what she planned to get. Junpei sighed, clearly upset by her answer.

"That bad, huh?" He asked, looking over at her. Yukari immediately blushed though she tried not to, hoping he didn't mean what she thought.

"That being...?"

"You know..._that_. Last night..."

"You don't mean _that_ that, do you?" She asked as she started to play with the hem of her skirt. Junpei blinked at her. Yukari was starting to get confused herself, wondering if he understood which "_that _that" she had meant. His next response was the only real answer she'd gotten so far.

"Uh..which that are we talking about?"


	3. Assumptions

**Heh, yes, that. Ya know..._that_. I'm listening to the song "Break your heart" by Taio Cruz and it's not giving me good vibes...oh loll...OpenOffice suggested "Taco" to replace Taio...that's funny right there...**

**Chapter 3**

_**Assumptions**_

Yukari bit her lip as she looked away from him in silence, positive which _that_ they were discussing...which would be _that_ involving sex. It was an awkward silence, the only sounds being both of them breathing and Akihiko waking up across the hall. Junpei waited until he heard Akihiko's footsteps recede to say anything.

"Well what _do_ you remember?"

"Um...I remember sitting down in the lounge with everyone...Minato was next to me. We were talking. He said...something...then it all goes blank." She sighed. That was only half true. She remembered what he had said.

She looked down, hoping Junpei wouldn't ask what he'd said, especially in the current situation. She wasn't sure why she even let this happen. She and Junpei weren't in love. They weren't bonded by destiny or something. They didn't even like each other.

Yukari glanced up at Junpei, who was already distracted by something out the window. He looked over at her, having noticed her looking at him after a moment. She couldn't quite tell what, but something seemed different about Junpei today. Maybe it was just her imagination. Or maybe it was the fact that she woke up in his arms, having wasted her entire prior evening with him without even remembering that any of it had really happened.

"I should probably get back to my room before the others get up..." She said, no longer wanting to be in the same room with him, as if she ever had. He nodded and opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off before he even had the chance to.

"Let's not mention this, okay? Just pretend like it never happened...because it didn't." She said firmly, hoping Junpei wouldn't even care.

"Sure, Yuka-tan." Junpei shrugged, looking bored with the conversation anyway. Yukari gave him a weak smile, hesitated for a moment, then quickly and silently retreated to her own room on the floor above.

Junpei could tell instantly by the look on her face, which she seemed oblivious to, that she didn't remember anything that had happened. Now all he had to do was pretend his life was the same as it was this time two days ago. _Well Yuka-tan still hates me and I, again, have nothing to do...so I guess it is just like Friday_ He thought as he straightened his hat. _Except, of course, now she thinks we had sex..._

Slipping into her room, Yukari silently closed her door. Only then did she notice she was still fully clothed in her school uniform. She stood there, leaning against the door, taking a few moments to fully comprehend the exact situation. As she did, the urge to cry was overwhelming.

If she and Junpei really had sex, as she had figured from the whole "_that_" discussion, then she'd lost her "innocence" and she wasn't even sure if she had been willing to or not. And if the fact that she couldn't remember any of it wasn't horrible enough, there was always the fact that it was with _Junpei_, nonetheless. It was this factor alone that caused her to burst into tears. Why the hell would she let him anyway? She wouldn't have—she couldn't have. Even if she was drugged or drunk or something, there was no way she would **ever** do that sort of thing with Junpei by her own choice.

As the horror and dismay faded, Yukari sat on the floor with her head in her hands. Some stupid little voice in the back of her head that was horrible at cheering anyone up told her _On the bright side, at least you aren't pregnant and nobody knows about it but you and him _but she wasn't even sure about either of those. For all she knew, she very well _could_ be pregnant with a little Junpei and he could be telling everyone about it right now. Her mind repeated "pregnant" and "little Junpei" and the mere thought of it, in all it's horror, caused her to faint.


	4. What really happened part 1

**Wow I was lazy yesterday...I only have this for today, too...**

**Chapter 4**

_**What really happened (part 1)**_

_**Dearest Reader,**_

_**By now you are, no doubt, wondering what really occurred between Yukari and Junpei on the evening prior to when the story is currently taking place. I will now change the hands of time to reveal to you exactly what happened and why Yukari cannot remember...Oh yes, my name is Gina. I work for Igor, it is a pleasure to meet you.**_

_**This is the day before the current..**_

As on any normal afternoon, Junpei could always be found sleeping in class. However, a nice breeze was coming in through the window that Saturday, making everyone a bit sleepy. It was almost summer break. No one was really interested in hearing about some ancient poet anyway, not even the teacher. As the sun shown brightly from the windows, so did Minato's obvious lack of anything to do but take a jot notes and nod incoherently. Yukari was avidly taking notes, due to the fact that it'd all probably be on the exams—the teachers liked to work that way.

The only sounds were a few random things like; the clock ticking away, one or two pens meeting paper, the teacher writing on the chalkboard, some whispers, and a few light snores from some of the more "nonparticipating" students.

The teacher turned around and sighed at her class, seeing how discordant they were.  
"Who today—aha. Junpei!" She said quickly, not expecting him to even move. Instead, Junpei looked up at her. She'd only said half of the question before he'd cut her off.

"Thirteen?" He asked in a half-conscious daze.

"Y..you're right..." The teacher said as she looked down at her teaching book, unsure what to do now. She could now say she'd really seen it all.

Junpei grinned at his victory then as soon as the teacher turned back to the board with a mortified expression, he dropped his head back down. Minato looked over at him with a quirked eyebrow and then realized that Junpei had not in fact been sleeping, like Kenji behind him, but he had actually been apparently writing something. Minato leaned over very slightly to possibly get a glimpse at what it said but he only saw two or three characters in very sloppy handwriting so he shrugged and looked back at his own moderately neat notes. He peeked ahead of him and his eyes widened at how lengthy and perfect Yukari's notes were.

While Minato started to hastily make quick, barely legible notes from over Yukari's shoulder, Junpei continued to scribble down some well placed words. After a moment, he thought to himself _That should do it, I hope_ and the slowly, carefully and quietly tore the page out. The teacher only looked back for a second, scowling a little after seeing Kenji, then turned back to the board. Once it was safe to proceed, Junpei folded the piece of paper a few times then shoved it in his pocket.

Minato only glanced over at Junpei, who was now grinning, for a second, then went back to trying to copy as much of Yukari's notes as he could. Junpei watched Minato work for a moment then watched shifted his attention to Yukari, who was completely oblivious to Minato's actions. Not that it really mattered to him, he himself would've done the same thing. Junpei settled with this for a few minutes until he confessed to himself that he really wouldn't because he didn't take notes anyway.

After what felt like eternity, the bell rang. Junpei shot up, his chair hitting Kenji's desk and waking him up right before the teacher turned back around, ready to scold him. She had been so looking forward to lecturing him about the importance of staying awake in her class that she told him to stay after anyway. She was going to give Junpei at least a small lecture for his usual routine but when she turned to his desk he'd been long gone.

Junpei had said a hasty goodbye to Minato, saying something about the dorm too quick to comprehend then sped off like he was late for tea with the Queen of England. Minato stood there next to his desk with his hands in his pockets for a few minutes, staring after where Junpei had just been, a puzzled look on his face. He then turned to Yukari, who was just closing her notebook.

"Did you notice anything strange about Junpei?" He asked, walking up to her desk. She looked up and got that look she always got when speaking about Junpei; Disdain.

"When is he _not_ strange?" She asked, her voice sounding very unenthusiastic.

"Well he just seemed really in a hurry to do something today..."

"Probably because he's been sleeping all day." She scoffed. Minato gave her a puzzled look, wondering if she knew he'd answered a question correctly without Minato having to tell him the answer. He considered telling her that Junpei hadn't even been sleeping but decided to just drop the subject all together.

"There's no archery club today...want to study with me in the library?" She asked, giving him her signature bright smile.

"Let's see...no swim team, no student council and no art club today, Kenji's busy.." He said, giving a quick glance at Kenji, who was nodding tiredly at whatever the teacher was lecturing him about. Yukari looked at him patiently, still waiting for an answer.

"Sure." Minato said after a minute, giving her a charming smile. She nodded and collected her books then they walked together to the library, discussing what was going on currently in their clubs.

Finally, when most people were leaving, they decided to start back to the dorm. While they were putting all the library books back, Yukari paused. Minato looked at her while sliding the last book into it's place.

"Minato-kun..." she began, sounding a little nervous.

"You have a lot of friends..." she began and he responded with a nod.

"So I was wondering...you're always hanging out with that girl, Yuko-chan...you aren't..." She trailed off, hoping she didn't have to finish. Minato flashed her another smile and shook his head.

"We're just good friends." He said and she nodded, blushing slightly.

"I was just curious..." She said quickly as they gathered all of their belonging and then finally headed back to the dorm.

Meanwhile, Akihiko was out walking Koro-chan while Mitsuru was settled in the lounge with what seemed to be a very intriguing book. Junpei was slouched out on the chair parallel to her, looking bored. Mitsuru had glanced up at him every half hour or so for the last two or three hours. He hadn't done a thing, made a sound that entire time. She was indeed curious as to what he was doing but didn't really think it her business and therefore settled with thinking he just had nothing to do.

When Minato and Yukari finally got in, they both had just sat down when Akihiko and Koromaru got back, apparently having met Fuuka on her way back from Paulownia Mall with Natsuki. They all found a comfortable spot to sit and engaged in conversations with each other. Akihiko just decided to watch the evening news, Junpei started to watch as well but grew bored quickly and decided to listen in on his team members' conversations. While Fuuka and Mitsuru talked about what seemed to be the upcoming exams, he only heard bits and pieces of words from Minato and Yukari's conversation. Something about "the stupidest" something...

What Junpei couldn't hear was Yukari telling Minato about some of the dumbest things Junpei had done since she'd met him, since Minato had brought up Junpei's odd actions again.

After a little while, one by one, the lounge started to clear out. First Fuuka, then Akihiko, then Minato, then finally Mitsuru—who insisted that Junpei and Yukari consider going to bed soon. She'd almost started on about how it was unhealthy for them to stay up late, but knowing her audience, she didn't quite see the point.

_**I am sure you are very curious as to what happens next but, unfortunately, my master insists I get rest before revealing to you what happened next. I am very sorry for this interruption and I vow to tell exactly what happened tomorrow, even if it kills me.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Gina**_

**I'm really sorry about this cut off, everyone, and the fact that I'm only adding one chapter today. But it's really long so I think it should count as at least two. My mom insists I go to bed early for the same reasons Mitsuru might have said so I'll put out at least four chapters tomorrow, since I too vow, even if it kills me. -LackOfPaitents**


	5. What really happened part 2

**Agh sorry about that cut-off. Plus I had some pc issues and wasn't able to start this until 10:30 pm on Saturday evening. I watched a movie about the the Aborigine struggles and stuff during WWII...it was better than it sounds, trust me...God, this took me until 5 am but I finished!  
**

**Chapter 5**

_**What really happened (part 2)**_

_**Dearest Reader,**_

_**I apologize greatly for the prior evening's disruption. However, I feel much better now that I am rested. I took a small hiatus in between so I am very sorry for the suspenseful waiting you must have bravely endured. I shall now continue.**_

_**Right where I left off**_

The lounge was now empty except for Junpei, Yukari and Koromaru. Yukari, who was now disgusted with Junpei because of all the stupid things he'd done, glared at him. Junpei however, didn't even seem to notice. He just stared at Koromaru with the utmost curiosity. Yukari looked at Koro-chan too, not seeing what was so special about him since he was merely chewing on a bone.

Yukari glanced back between the dog and Junpei then sighed a little, hoping he would break the silence with something stupid so she could scold him. Though what he said instead, surprised her too much for any possible reply.

"Hey Yuka-tan...you believe in love?" He asked, still looking at Koromaru. She just sat there with the most blank expression in existence.

"Y...lo...n...what??" she finally sputtered, blushing up a storm. Junpei looked up at her, seeing her expression and fought the urge to laugh.

"Sorry, Yuka-tan. Didn't know it was a touchy subject for you..." He said with a grin, which made her blush even more.

"Ugh..shut up, Stupei." She hissed, scowling at him. Junpei just smiled, which irritated her very much, for some reason. There was silence until Koromaru decided to make his departure and wandered up the stairs in search of a nice place to sleep.

"So are you planning on going to bed any time soon?" Junpei asked, tying not to sound so anxious for her to leave. Unfortunately, his endeavors failed and Yukari's suspicions were aroused.

"Why do you need to know? Planning to do something unlawful?" She asked, glaring at him with a look of total mistrust.

"No, of course not." Junpei muttered, sighing a little. Yukari rolled her eyes.

"Oh so then you wouldn't mind me staying up with you." She smirked. Junpei sighed and looked at her as seriously as he could.

"As long as you don't mind magic." He shrugged. Yukari quirked an eyebrow and scooted over to the other side of the couch, closer to the chair he was sitting in.

"What kind of magic?"

"Ya know...spells and stuff." He grinned, though still trying to be serious.

"Oh...so _that_ kind of magic." She smirked.

"Yeah..." Junpei said as he pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. Yukari bent over the arm of the couch to try and see what it said but she couldn't read his handwriting.

"So...you're like a magician or something?" She asked. Junpei looked up from the paper and smiled. Yukari quirked an eyebrow at him but her just smiled again.

"Well that is my arcana...what's yours?"

"Uhm...Lovers." She said, blushing a little.

"Oh...so that means you're a lover?" He grinned. This made Yukari turn completely red.

"Wh..what's that supposed to mean?!" She asked, trying to regain her composure. Junpei just smirked and shrugged.

"Oh I dunno. Nothing, I guess." He said, turning back to the paper in his hands. Yukari blinked then looked over at the stairs, wondering if perhaps _now_ she should go to bed. Yet she didn't quite feel like doing so. Instead, she looked back at Junpei and watched him curiously.

"What's that?" She asked finally, pointing to the piece of paper. Junpei looked up, seemingly distracted already by the paper.

"Oh uh...just a spell..."

"Really? What for?" She asked, leaning over again to try and read it. This time, however, he turned it away from her.

"That's really none of your business, Yuka-tan." He said, pressing the paper against his chest.

"Why? Is it a killing spell or something?" She joked and Junpei rolled his eyes.

"Why would I want to use a killing spell?" He asked, as if it were the easiest question ever. Yukari shrugged lightly and shook her head.

"Shadows..maybe? I don't know how your weird mind works..." She scoffed. This only made Junpei grin, however.

"And it's probably best if it stays that way." He said with a chuckle then turned back to the paper yet again. Yukari sighed, very curious to see what his spell was about.

"Can I have a hint?" She asked, hoping he'd say yes.

"I already gave you one." He mumbled, not looking away from the paper.

"Which was what?"

"That'd be another hint."

"Repeating it does not count as a second hint." She scowled.

"I'm pretty sure it does."  
"No, it doesn't, Stupei."

"Maybe...Maybe not." He shrugged. Yukari sighed and slouched a little in her seat, annoyed that he wouldn't just tell her what it was.

"Fine, fine." He said after a moment.

"Huh?"

"It's about the first thing I said to you today." He sighed then muttered something she couldn't hear at all. She stared at him for a minute, thinking back to the first thing he'd said.

"So...it's about melon bread?" She said, struggling to keep a straight face.

"...Yeah. I wanna make a spell so I can have lots and lots of melon bread." He grumbled. This was too much. Sure she knew he wasn't serious. But the thought was so stupid that it was actually believable for Junpei to do. Only a few seconds after he'd finished had Yukari burst into laughter. Junpei smiled, slightly surprised that he'd actually made her laugh. He shrugged and went back to quietly reading his spell aloud. He watched as the words "your true love's name is" changed. He stared at the paper, now a little weirded out, but didn't want to show Yukari that. So he kept a straight face and watched as the letters formed into his true love's name.

As it formed, far too slow for his attention span, he mentally asked himself why he even wanted to know. Wasn't the whole point of love about finding your true love out of all the people in the world? He looked over at Yukari, who was done laughing and now looking at him expectantly for the real answer.

"After the melon bread..." He sighed. She thought for a moment and the letters kept forming.

"So it's about....lo--" She suddenly cut off and convulsed forward like she'd just been hit. Junpei hadn't seen this though, because he was looking at the paper with the most surprised expression ever used by man. The letters, very clearly wrote a name he knew. _Yukari Takeba_.


	6. What really happened part 3

**I'm starting to get back into the groove of writing. Also, I looked it up and it turns out the ending "-tan" represents an object that the speaker finds cute. So ha! I've been DYING to use "thunderstruck" in my writings all year...PS. Listening to "I don't wanna miss a thing" by Aerosmith, which is a _very_ good song!**

**Chapter6**

_**What really happened (part 3)**_

Junpei was still staring at the letters of Yukari's name with a thunderstruck expression. Yukari was still knelt over as if in some sort of deep pain. The letters then started to reform. They now said _You true love will find you_ and Junpei quirked an eyebrow.

"What the hell is that supposed to me--" He began but was cut off by Yukari grabbing his chin and pulling him into a kiss. Junpei pulled away with a shocked expression.

"Yuka-tan, are you alright?" He asked, thinking she may have suddenly lost her mind. She didn't say anything, only tried to kiss him again. This officially weirded out Junpei and he lent back against the chair, trying to move away from her. He was leaning so far back that he knocked the chair back. Yukari, who had been kneeling on the chair slightly, fell on top of him when it went backwards.

Junpei tried to get up but she pinned him down and he couldn't get her off, likely because he was still in shock. However, the flirtatious smile she gave him, that look in her eyes, and the direction her hand was moving—down—had given him enough strength to slip out of her grasp, resulting in a slight tear on his jacket. But that wasn't his main concern at the moment.

"I..I think I'll go to bed now.." He said, backing up a little as she walked closer to him with that same horrifyingly sweet smile and dreamy look in her eyes.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked as he felt his back press against the wall. She as now so close to him that he could smell her perfume.

"Y..yes, actually." He stuttered while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn't even seem to have heard what he had said. She just pressed her body a little closer to his and brushed her hand against his leg _accidentally_.

While she seemed to be on some romantic side of Cloud Nine, Junpei felt like he was in the darkest depths of Hell. This was just too weird for him to bear. This was Yuka-tan. Now if it had been any other girl, even Mitsuru, he may not have minded as much—though if it were Mitsuru, he'd still be disturbed. Hell, he prefer Akihiko to this. Though that would be _really_ weird. No, this just _couldn't_ be happening. At least, not seriously...

"Just...stop. This isn't funny. It's weird. I don't _like_ you." He sighed, thinking she'd been able to read his spell and was just messing with him. She froze and looked at him, as if hurt by what he'd said.

"I meant...you know..._that_ way..." He said, now feeling bad, thinking he'd hurt her feelings.

"You're right...I'm being stupid..." She said, looking down as though she might cry. This, too, was too much for Junpei to take. He didn't like the idea of making her cry anymore than kissing her.

"Yuka-tan..." He said softly, bending down a little so he could see her face. He bit his lip seeing she really _was_ crying. He'd only had to touch her arm lightly to make those few stifled tears turn into full-out sobs. After a few minutes of trying to calm her down, he ran out of ideas to make her happy.

_Sure could use that damn dog about now..._ he thought, knowing Koromaru probably could've made her smile, at the least.

Not knowing what else to do, he wrapped his arms around her in a _friendly_ embrace. He sighed as she stopped crying and slowly wrapped her arms around him. It was a very awkward first moment but the longer they stood there like that, the less he seemed to mind. He knew he shouldn't have, but he pulled her a little closer than a friend normally would've. Than again, they weren't exactly normal, either. He wasn't thinking when he closed his eyes and didn't see Minato, who was silently standing at the base of the stairs. He silently turned back around and swiftly made his way back to his room.

Yukari gently set her head against his chest and all was still and silent and complete for a moment. Then Junpei opened his eyes and reality struck him like a baseball bat to the head. But it was already too late. Perhaps it was because she'd worn herself out with all that crying, or maybe it was the fact that it was two in the morning. Junpei didn't really know. But as soon as Yukari had set her head against his chest, her eyes had fluttered closed and she'd fallen asleep.

Not wanting to risk getting caught carrying an unconscious Yukari in the middle of night—as that would no doubt be a very awkward and convicting scene, more so because it was obvious she'd been crying—he decided it'd probably best to just bring her to his room. He was fairly sure he could do that, since he wasn't going to do anything to her, anyway.

He opened the door as quietly as he could and set her down gently on the bed. He closed the door then opened the window so she wouldn't suffocate. He attempted to tidy up a bit—by taking the mangas that were scattered all over the room and just dumping them in one pile—and he shoved all his clothes—dirty or clean—out of sight. As he pulled down the poster of the girl in a bikini down from the wall, he couldn't help but wonder why he was going through all the trouble. He told himself it was for Yukari's own sanity and put the poster under his bed. No girl wants to wake to a much prettier girl in a bikini. But in his opinion, she probably could've been on that poster too. He already knew she had great legs and she did look pretty cute in a bikini. He started to wonder what she looked like _without_ the bikini, despite his best efforts not to.

Junpei shook his head to try and clear these thoughts from his head. He noticed her shiver a little and covered her with the blankets then sat down on the other side of the bed, watching her. This made him feel like some weirdo who watched girls undress through their windows and stood next to their beds while they slept, cutting off strands of their hair for his collection—but then admitted to himself he was only watching her to stall from when he would have to lay down next to her. He _could_ go sleep on the couch but he knew she would totally freak out worse if she woke up _alone_ in his room, rather than if he were at least next to her so she could kill him right then and there. The thought made him chuckle a little then he sighed, knowing this moment was inevitable.

He bit his lip, watching her for any movement, then slid a little closer to her. He laid down as quietly as he could on his cheap, squeaky bed. He expected nothing less of a punch when she rolled over, her face now inches from his, but he only felt her breathing softly next to him.

He laid there for what felt like hours, looking at the ceiling, unable to relax and give into the temptations of sleep that hit him in waves. He didn't think he could actually go through with this. He went to sit up and noticed she had her arm wrapped around his. He sighed a little and let his body sink back down. He had only just closed his eyes, actually starting to waiver under sleep's seduction but it was these next four words that kept him up for another few hours.

"I love you—" She muttered in her sleep, making Junpei's eyes pop open. He looked over at her, feeling dizzy either from exhaustion or as a natural reaction of what she'd just said.

He felt like his heart was going to rise, explode, overheat, stop, malfunction, skip a beat...

"—Minato..."

...break.


	7. Moonlight Fever

**Sorry! I've been having computer problems and my entire chapter 7 got turned into a bunch of "#####" and I got very sad. But now I'm listening to "Lovely" by Breathe Carolina. So I'm good.**

**Chapter 7**

_**Moonlight Fever**_

Yukari opened her eyes to pitch black darkness. She couldn't see a single thing. She looked to where she was fairly certain the window was. There was no light. _Not even moonlight, it must be a new moon _she thought. Her eyes wandered over to where the door should be. No light at all. Not a single light anywhere. She felt a tiny spike of panic at the thought of possibly having gone blind. She convinced herself that the lights in the hall were just off. That had to be it.

_I'll prove it _she told herself as she slipped her legs over the side of the bed. She sat there for a moment, trying to recall how she fell asleep anyway. As she remembered fainting, she then realized she couldn't have gotten on her bed from the floor. In fear that the events of the prior night were repeating, she grabbed the blankets but even the fact that it _was_ her comforter didn't calm her. She reached over on the nightstand and felt her clock, just as she'd left it. She slipped off her bed and wandered over to the window, exactly where it was supposed to be. She finally calmed down, remembering that the window in Junpei's room had been on the other side.

She looked out the window and saw a dimly lit street light in the front of the dorm. She definitely wasn't blind. She sighed in relief. Everything was fine. She was just overreacting. Figuring, it was best to just go back to sleep, she slipped into her bed. Her hand slipped under a pillow and she rested her head gently on top of it. It was a soft pillow, though something a little flatter would have been preferable. She snuggled up against the pillow, finding the warmth radiating from it comforting. It smelled good too, much different than the other pillows. She figured it was probably just a new fabric softener. Still, something about it seemed familiar.

Her eyes had become heavy with the desire to sleep but she just had to know where she knew this from before she would be able to rest. Otherwise, the curiosity might just be too much that it could very well kill her. She thought and thought, wracking her brain for what this was. No food she could remember, no perfume—though she could recall the slight essence of a few different colognes. Then, it clicked. She mentally slapped herself for overlooking that. Cologne. Only guys wore cologne. Only a few guys could've come in her room. Only one had been in a bed with her before.

She opened her eyes, not as angry as she had been the night before but in a much greater state of panic. She didn't even realize that she was nearly breaking her "pillow" in half by means of death hug. She bit her lip and almost screamed when her pillow gasped and only then realized that she was inadvertently attempting manslaughter. She not only let go, she threw whatever it was off the bed, a loud thump seconds after she did so. She picked up her clock, ready to topple it into the head of her "pillow" but apparently her actions had woken someone up, since the light in the hall turned on.

It took her a minute to completely register what was going on. She felt her cheeks burn and her heart felt like it was beating at light speed. The light from under the door shined across the face of her pillow impersonator but she told herself her imagination was playing tricks on her. She couldn't say a thing to the person who was staring back at her. She noticed he wasn't even looking at her face. She followed his eyes to her chest and only then realized she was half-dressed. She covered herself with her comforter and her face went completely red.

She knew she would never be able to live this moment down, if anyone walked in or not. The light in the hall went out and she heard a door quietly close at the end of the hall, but that didn't really matter anymore. There was a moment of complete silence in that darkness. During this, she could still feel his eyes on her chest, as though he could see in the dark with x-ray vision. Finally unable to bear it anymore, Yukari did what anyone would do in this kind of situation.

"Get out, Minato." She hissed.


	8. Secrets I

**Okay, to make up for my total lack of writing, here's this. Now playing is "Pretty Rave Girl" by I Am X-Ray. BTW, Minato kinda becomes the bad guy. This is a pretty long one...**

**Chapter 8**

_**Secrets I**_

"That's not what you said to Junpei, is it?"

She could tell he was grinning, even through the darkness.

"You don't need to answer. I already know."

Despite her desire to shut him up with some powerful comeback, she just couldn't seem to get a grasp on any words. So he continued.

"It's a new guy each night, isn't it?" He chuckled and she heard him stand up. She could feel his hand find his way onto her thigh. His words, his actions—his mere presence—had taken her off guard, but not so off that she didn't slap his hand away.

"Isn't this what you were hoping for? Isn't it everything you want?" He whispered.

"Funny." She mumbled.

"What is?" He whispered, wondering what she could've meant by that.

"You're normally so quiet." She said with a slight chuckle.

"And?" He sighed, growing a bit impatient.

"And now you won't shut up." She hissed, throwing the clock at him. She wasn't sure why she did that but it defiantly hit him. "I told you to get out and I suggest you do it. Unless you want me to find something bigger and sharper th throw."

"No, I'm going..." He muttered, throwing the clock to the floor.

"Good." She seethed, not sure what else to say.

"Just remember what I said." He said as he opened the door.

"Get out." She growled. He muttered something as he left but Yukari had no interest in what he had to say. She closed the door while he was half way out, pushing him out with the door. She turned the lock then sighed. As she listened to his footsteps recede, she concluded that she'd rather wake up with Junpei _everyday _than have to go through that again.

Suddenly, she regretted having him leave that way. She should have acted like Junpei had. Instead, she pegs a clock at his head...at least, she thought it was his head. Maybe then she could've gotten a vow of silence out of him. She sighed and plopped down on her bed, covering herself with the comforter.

She expected a sob, just like last time. But nothing happened. She didn't feel like she was going to cry, she wasn't really even that mad—though she was far from happy about the whole situation. She could conjure no emotions at all from this situation. She looked at the window, desperately wishing the moon would appear and light up the room like it did when the moon was full. But full moons weren't good anymore. And she'd never be in bed on a full moon.

She laid down and rolled over, wanting a new pillow to hug. She blushed, mentally telling herself she meant a _real_ pillow but in all honesty, she knew what she originally had meant. Bodies were much nicer than pillows anyway. Even if they were Minato bodies. She wondered how she would ever be able to face him again. The same way she'd face Junpei, she figured.

Sitting up slowly, Yukari started to ponder how she would deal with this. A little voice in her head told her not to treat them the same. When she thought of why, it all became clear.

Junpei had been a little annoying, granted he _is_ Junpei after all, but her hadn't said anything really intentional to hurt her. Ever. Lost in her thoughts, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Not sunshine nor the irritating birds were enough to wake Yukari that morni. While Mitsuru, Ken and Akihiko had all left for school together, Minato hung around for a few minutes. He said he was going to go with Fuuka, who was having great difficulty with her hair, but in reality he just wanted to see the look on Yukari's face when she saw him. That would surly wake him up. But with time running scarce and Fuuka having finally controlled her hair, he was forced to leave the dorm before he got the chance to see her.

No one bothered to wake up Junpei. His door was locked. That meant he wasn't going to school that day he was "sick". This didn't happen too often so everyone just let it slide today.

"You know he's not sick." Minato sighed as Fuuka looked at him.

"Actually, I'm not really sure this time. He was in his room _all day_ yesterday and no one heard him making any noise at all."

"I wonder how Yukari is..."

"She's probably sick too."

Though Minato knew for a fact this wasn't true, he nodded anyways.

"Maybe Junpei killed himself..." Minato mumbled, unable to suppress his evil grin.

"Minato-kun! That's an awful thing to say!" Fuuka gasped, her eyes widening in horror. Minato just faked an apologetic look then he and Fuuka headed off to school. However, Minato was right...Junpei wasn't sick.

Yukari stirred a little, her head feeling like it was just hit by a freight train. She opened her eyes to the sunshine and smiled. It was a nice day. She got up and got dressed in her uniform, wondering why all the birds weren't singing like usual. There were a few chirps here and there but it wasn't normal. As she went to open the door, she heard a slight crunch under her foot. She looked down at her already messed up clock and sighed, making a mental note that she would need a new one.

Yukari opened the door and looked out in the hall, not seeing anyone. She wandered downstairs to the lobby. The only sound was the TV, which had been left on for Koromaru. Yukari looked at the clock behind the front desk. The hour hand was almost on the eleven.

A wave of panic overcame Yukari, having no clue what to do in this type of situation. She'd never skipped school before. Now was not a good time to have a truancy officer show up at the front door. She bit her lip and peeked out the window of the front door, not seeing anyone. She turned around and jumped a little, seeing Junpei at the bottom of the stairs, staring at her in confusion.

"Yuka-tan...what're you doin' here?" He asked, not paying paying any mind to what happened two days prior.

"Uhm..I..." She stuttered, having no clue what to say. She knew she was blushing so she looked down as though something terribly interesting that required her full attention had just spawned on the floor.

Junpei couldn't help but smile. It was just so cute when she blushed like that. He took a few steps forward.

"Skipping?" He asked with a grin. She didn't look up, just nodded a little, as if entranced by the invisible object in front of her.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." Junpei smirked. Yukari was temped to ask which secret but decided not to, in case he'd forgotten what had happened. As though reading her mind, Junpei bent forward a little.

"That one too."

Yukari looked up and gave him a tiny smile, much in contrast to his broad grin.

"Well I'll let you get back to...whatever you were doing." He said as he turned to leave.

"Junpei..." She squeaked, grabbing his arm, though having no clue why she did so. It was a completely involuntary action.

Junpei turned back around, about to ask her what she wanted, likely, but before he could say a thing she straightened his hat and let go of his arm.

"Y...you looked stupid with it crooked." She said quietly.


	9. Secrets II

**I'm back. It's a rainy Tuesday. Everything was fine...until I spilled my V8 Splash AND my Pringles... Dun dun dun!** **I'm listening to "The Poet and the Pendulum" by Nightwish**

**Chapter 9**

_**Secrets II**_

Junpei stared at her, doubting—by how her voice had sounded—that she had only meant to do that. He quirked an eyebrow as her face went completely red. For a moment she looked like she'd finally lost it. Instead, she suddenly she sunk down to her knees and sobbed into her hands.

Junpei knelt down next to her, wondering why this kept happening when only he was around, and tried to make words out of her muffled sobs. He wasn't sure what to do, not wanting to have a repeat of last time. After another minute, he couldn't bear seeing her like this and gently moved her hands away from her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, not sure what else to say. His only answer were the inaudible words she was trying so hard not to say at all.

What Minato had said finally struck her so now everything that had happened was hitting her all at once and it just _had_ to be Junpei present when it did. She felt so stupid for crying in front of him. But she couldn't seem to control herself anymore. She not only couldn't control herself, she couldn't control anything in her life. If she could, this wouldn't be happening and she would be in class. But it was happening. And she couldn't do a thing about it.

After a few minutes of sitting there, Yukari finally could speak again. The only problem with this was that she _wouldn't_ speak. She told herself she wouldn't say a thing. Just pretend it never happened. There was a moment of silence.

"Let's not talk about this, okay? Just pretend it never happened. Because it di--"

"It did." Junpei said firmly. He wasn't going to let this go like he had before. Because after a whole day of thought, he'd realized that it had been the wrong move. He should have just told her right then and there that nothing actually _had_ happened, in the way she thought. Now he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

"Junpei..."

"I'm not going to pretend nothing ever happens. Because nothing ever _does_ happen."

"What does--"

"Nothing really even happened the other night. You cried, then passed out. That's it." He said, standing up. His voice had a note of irritation in it.

"But I was in your--"

"Well how do you think it would it look if I was carrying you unconcious into your room at four in the morning?"

"Not much worse than you bringing me into yours."

"But _nothing happened_. Trust me. I made sure of it."

"What do you mean you 'made sure of it'." She said, now glaring at him. He sighed, rubbed his temples, fixed his hat then looked back at her.

"I don't think you really want to know."

"I do." She said, trying to sound enthusiastic. Junpei bit his lip.

"You...you tried to kiss me, Yuka-tan. You wouldn't let me go. I said some things that upset you and you cried. That's when you...look, I don't think either of us wanted this to happen but it did. It did and we can't ever change that. So we just need to accept that what's done is done and move on." He sighed, not really sure where this little motivation speech came from. Yukari was quiet for a moment.

"What did you say?" She asked, finally.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. If I'm supposed to accept it, I need to know what I'm accepting. Tell me, Stupei, what did you say?"

"Don't call me that."

"Damn it, Junpei, just tell me."

"I said I didn't love you." He said quickly but it didn't matter. She'd heard him clearly.

"Th..that's it?" She asked, expressionlessly.

"Well I technically said I didn't like you, ya know, _that_ way." He added, not wanting to make her cry yet again.

"Oh it's not like I care, Stupei." She shrugged, her face still blank.

"No, but you care what Minato thinks, don't you?" He asked with a grin. Unsure why she said that, she decided to assume the worst, since that had been happening a lot.

"It's not what you think..." She sighed, confusing him.

"I'm pretty sure it is."

"No, you don't understand."

"How can you say that when you don't even know what I'm talking about? Or were you lying when you said you forgot?" He asked, sounding a little pushy. He didn't even know why he was getting to emotional about this.

"I _did _forget, Junpei....what are you even talking about, anyway?"

"You don't remember saying 'I love you Minato'?" He asked, his voice a mesh of roughness and gentleness from his unsureness if she really didn't remember.

"I....I said that??" She said, looking like she die of regret.

"Yeah..."

"Well I lied. That was a pure lie. One hundred percent lie." She said quickly. As she ranted on about why it's a lie, Junpei merely quirked an eyebrow.

"Okay, it was a lie. I got that the first time."

"Really, it's not true. I don't even like him. I hate him. I hope he gets hit by a train." She blurted without even meaning to.

"Um, okay, I get the feeling this has something to do with why you were crying." He said, trying to piece it all together.

"No, I just really hate Minato."

"Why?"

"Be...because he's very insensitive a..and he's dating half the school."

"Now, that's a bit of an exaggeration."

"Honestly, Junpei. Just because no one wants to date you, that doesn't mean no one wants to date your Minato."

"You sound more like his jealous fan-girl, Yuka-tan." Junpei said with a smirk. Yukari glared at him but that didn't really do much.

"No I don't."

"Yeah...you do."

"No, I do not."

"Yes, you d--" He began but Yukari grabbed his hat and held it behind her back.

"Take it back and I'll give your hat back."

"Okay, I'll take my hat back."

"You know what I meant, Stupei." She said with smirk. Junpei just responded with a grin and when he took one step forward, she took one step back.

"I won't take it back because then I'd be lying." He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him so she wouldn't be able to step away again. Their eyes met for a moment and all was quiet in the dorm. Everything but the sound of them breathing. Without breaking eye contact, Junpei took his hat from her hand and set it back on his head. This had snapped Yukari out of her little trance. She blushed at how close they were. Junpei smiled. It was so cute when she blushed.


	10. Secrets III

**Sorry I've been gone. I've been on Spring Break at my dad's where there's no Internet. NOOO!**

**Chapter 10**

_**Secrets III**_

It was a Monday morning and here Junpei was with a beautiful girl in his arms. He couldn't really help what he did. His hands slipped under her chin and he brought her lips to his. The thing that surprised him most was that she didn't even seem shocked. In fact, she seemed as though she had been expecting it. Her arms slipped up around his neck. She pulled him against her, which caused them to lean into the wall.

After a moment, Junpei pulled away, giving her a serious gaze.

"Don't do anything you're gonna regret. I won't pretend it didn't happen..." He said softly, his lips lingering near hers. Their eyes met for a moment then Yukari closed her eyes.

"Th..then I should..." She trailed off as Junpei took a step back. Much to her relief, he was smiling.

"Don't worry about it, Yuka-tan." He said with a grin that made her slightly nervous. She looked down for a moment then suddenly convulsed forward slightly. She put both of her hands around his hand and smirked.

"I almost did something I'd regret." She said with a smile as she started to pull him up the stairs. Junpei quirked an eyebrow, not really sure what to do, so he just let her lead him wherever she was taking him. Junpei noticed a strange aura about how she was acting and how she sounded. It was oddly familiar yet he couldn't remember where he'd seen her like this before. Deep in thought, Junpei didn't even realize she was dragging him down the hall on the third floor. She opened the door to her room and pulled him inside. She shoved him against the wall, which broke him from his train of thought. He looked around for only a second before he got a good guess of where he was.

"Yuka-tan...is this your room?"

"Mhm." She said with a slight giggle, pressing her body against his. It was this that reminded him exactly when she'd been like this before. Before he could do or say anything, Yukari pulled him away from the door and shoved him onto her bed. She pushed him onto his back and kissed him passionately. Caught up in the moment, Junpei kissed her back involuntarily. It wasn't his intention to let her carry out her objective but in the back of his mind, he knew he wanted this. Though he didn't want to believe this was truly what he desired, he convinced himself that if he let her do whatever she wanted, maybe that would finish the spell and it would never happen again. He was a little worried about what might happen when the spell was gone and she found out things really _did_ happen then.

While he was thinking all this, Yukari already had his shirt half off. It was probably the thought of what would happen after this that made Junpei finally snap back to the moment and realize what was really happening. He sat up with Yukari now sitting on his lap flashing him a seductive smile. He gave her a weak smile in return.

"Yuka-tan..." He began but that was all he needed to say before she burst into tears. He sighed, this now becoming a common thing, apparently, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Junpei...Minato, he..." She managed to get out before she became inaudible again. Junpei had figured out most things didn't work to make her stop crying. He could now either let her cry it out, or try something totally new. Not wanting to sit her and try to make sense of gibberish again, Junpei decided to go with the latter.

It was a really spur of the moment choice but he'd tried just about everything else the other two times she'd broken down like this. Junpei tilted her face towards his and gave her a gentle kiss. That was all it was meant to be. But when he went to pull away, Yukari moved her arms up around his neck like she had before. Junpei raised his hands to pry her off but he hesitated for a moment before doing so. After he did, Yukari decided he deserved to know. So she told him about Minato. Every single thing.


	11. Annoyance

**Hello, my duckies. MUAHAHAA! Well, I'm back. And I feel real good about myself. So, without further delay… (Yes, I totally ripped that off Beetlejuice). Oh and PS, I hate Microsoft Word. PPS: I just wanted you to know, I'm listening to Taco Cruz XD  
PPPS: I reread the last chapter and…WHAT THE HELL WAS I SMOKING? Why would a fucking Monday morning make someone want to fulfill their hidden desires? Monday mornings make **_**me**_** wanna strangle someone…but that's just me. ****  
PPPPS: Yukari is a rape victim. Now she's a victim of physical abuse. Poor her ****  
PPPPPS: Ya know, at the very top I said "without further delay"…but I wrote that months ago…and look at all this delay down here O_O  
PPPPPPS: I wrote the one above this all the way back in December! I am now FINISHING this chapter in March _ I WILL finish it too! By the way, I changed a lot of it since December.  
PPPPPPPS: I don't hate Minato or anything, I just needed an antagonist and well, I can make Minato have whatever personality I choose since he doesn't have a set one, really.**

**Chapter 11**

**Annoyance**

It was a nice, sunny Tuesday afternoon. Junpei was back to sleeping in class, trying to make up for the lack of sleep last night. All this weirdness with Yukari had distracted him from his gaming, which he had tried to catch up during the night.

Minato had his heart set on bothering Yukari today. His plan was to make her as miserable as possible. No girl could flirt with Minato Arisato and then screw his comic relief guy, especially not in the same day. He leant back in his seat, kicking the legs of Yukari's chair. He poked the back of her neck with his pencil. He threw paper balls at her when no one was looking. He was being the ultimate pain in the ass. Perfect.

Yukari was determined not to speak to Minato at all, despite how obnoxious he was being. She did not want to speak to him after what happened the other night. Moreover, if she turned around to speak to him, she would see Junpei too. Seeing Junpei and Minato at the same time could not be a good idea in any means. She stopped to ponder how she would even manage to survive while _living with them both_, while Minato pulled her hair a little.

Just when she was about to snap at him, the bell rang. While everyone else gathered their books and left, the teacher began to lecture Junpei about sleeping in class, to which he nodded incoherently. Minato saw this as his perfect chance strike.

Yukari was busy gathering her books at her desk. Just when she reached for her math book, Minato snatched it off her desk with a coy smile. Yukari gave him an apathetic look as he opened it and flipped through the pages leisurely. Not falling for his little game, Yukari just collected her other books then turned to him.

"Keep it." She said flatly as he quirked an eyebrow at her. "I'll just take yours." She said as she grabbed his book, shoved it in her bag and started to walk away. Irritated by her actions, Minato, in a moment of bad judgment, threw the book at her head.

The impact knocked her over, spilling her books out of her bag. Junpei, who was still semi-conscious, saw Minato throw the book. He went to go falcon punch him, but due to his lack of energy, tripped and fell on the teacher, knocking her back on a desk. Just then, Mitsuru walked in. She looked at Yukari on the floor, with scraped knees and a bloody nose, then at Junpei, who was almost lying on the teacher. She sighed, closed the door, and walked away.

The teacher bitch-slapped Junpei and shoved him off then ran over to Yukari and helped her up. Minato snuck out the other door silently and ran to kendo practice, feeling very accomplished.

Minato felt like a king as he walked down the hall of Gekkoukan high school. Yuko beamed as he walked by, Chihiro blushed as he passed, Bebe waved his fan flirtatiously. Okay, well that last one was more unnerving but he smiled anyway.

"Iori, help Takeba to the nurse's office." She said then plopped down at her desk and pulled out a manga. Junpei scowled. _What kind of teacher sits back and reads Gundam while one of her students is injured?_

Yukari and Junpei went to the hall, leaving the irresponsible teacher to her reading.

"I'm fine, Junpei, it's just a scraped knee. Just go home. I have archery practice." Yukari sighed, crossing her arms.

"Okay, if you say so, Yukari. See you back at the dorm." He said, glancing down the hall behind her.

Yukari sighed, wishing he hadn't actually left. She was not fine though, and she wouldn't be until this mess with Minato was resolved. She closed her eyes as her knees began to sting.

Suddenly, she felt an arm on her shoulders. She opened her eyes. Junpei grinned at her.

"Actually, I think I'll walk you to archery."

Yukari smiled back at him.

"No, I don't mind at all."

From the end of the hall, Minato watched with an immense frown.

**AHAHAHAAHAHA! OMFG! SO MANY PS FORMS IN SO LITTLE SPACE!**


	12. Tartarus

**I love this story but I need to add more to it. That means; more action, more romance, more M rated content. Also, I wanna try and make it feel more like it's from the actual game, not some parallel universe…although it really is. In this little universe, Akihiko/Mitsuru is shipped and Shinji is alive and Ken doesn't hate him. I kinda like the shipping Shinji/Fuuka so…yeah.**

**Rated M for: Mild sexual content (oh yeah XD), strong language, use of alcohol, mild violence (I'm bad at fight scenes), mild randomness, Yukari/Junpei shipping, strong use of perverted comments, Ryoji-kun, Minato (male protagonist) bashing, and apparently suicidal teenagers who aren't actually shooting themselves but really summoning a monster from their souls.**

**Also, I've kinda always wondered what everyone else does on the first floor of Tartarus while the others are up there owning those shadows.**

**Chapter 12**

**Tartarus**

Evening set in upon the SEES dorm but the temperature did not decrease upon nightfall. It was late spring, almost summer. Soon it would be summer break. There would be hours upon hours to waste doing absolutely nothing during those scorching hot days. That evening, it felt like one of those days.

"It's evening now and I'm still breaking a sweat." Akihiko sighed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"I bet you could probably cook off the furniture." Junpei said, slumping back against the couch.

Shinji shot him a glance.

"That would make it taste awful." He scoffed.

"Yeah, especially since we've been sweating all over everything." Junpei said with a grin. Shinji only scoffed again.

"That gave me a horrible mental image…" Ken mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Minato walked into the lounge just then, hands in his pockets and hair in his face, as usual. Junpei stared at him for a moment. He wanted to greet his friend. He wanted things to be like they used to be. He wanted to be with Minato and Yukari and not feel a weird tension. Instead, he just sighed and looked on silently as Akihiko greeted him instead.

"Hey, where've you been?" He said with a slight chuckle.

Minato walked over to Fuuka. He had that look in his eyes tonight and everyone just knew. He didn't even have to say a word.

"Would you like to know everyone's condition?" Fuuka asked in her usual, gentle voice.

Standing by the front gates of Tartarus, despite the warm weather, they all still felt a chill. It _was_ a creepy place, after all. Minato quickly chose his team, Aigis, Koromaru and Shinji, and then headed up a dozen floors through the mysterious device thing.

Junpei went over to the stairs and sat down. This was the first time they'd gone to Tartarus since all of this began. He hadn't even thought about Tartarus these last few days. He'd been so caught up with everything else, he'd even forgotten about the shadows in general. He fixed his hat and sighed. There would be a full moon soon. He knew he couldn't go on like this. He needed to be prepared for the Operation and he couldn't be if this stuff wasn't settled by then. He wasn't sure Minato or Yukari could either.

Up 112 floors above where Junpei sat, Minato was walking down a hall, ready for any shadows that may appear. If it hadn't been for that call from Elizabeth telling him the next block was unlocked, he would've completely forgotten Tartarus and the Dark Hour even existed. He wanted things to be back to normal. He wanted to walk home with his best friend, listening to him crack jokes and comment on every beautiful girl they passed. Minato smiled when he thought about it. Junpei was such a womanizer. Then Minato frowned. It had always been Junpei's little quirk. Normally, it was funny or, predominately, awkward, but when it was with Yukari…

Minato clutched the hilt of his sword tightly as he remembered Yukari backing Junpei into the wall in the lounge. Why would she do that? Why Junpei and not him? Minato became more immersed in these thoughts until, suddenly, a hand on his shoulder yanked him back violently behind a wall.

He looked up at Shinji who was scowling at him, as usual.

"Hey, kid. Watch where you're going. You almost walked straight into that shadow." Shinji hissed, poking him with the edge of his ax. Minato managed to mutter out some sort of apology and Shinji let him go.

"Just…be more careful." He said, resting his ax on his shoulder.

Minato nodded and led them down the hall, this time more focused on what he was doing. As he struck a shadow with his sword, he came to a sudden realization. It wasn't Junpei he was angry at; it was Yukari. As he summoned his Persona, he recalled the memory of Yukari backing Junpei against the wall. He didn't look like he'd seduced her. In fact, he looked somewhat bewildered. Maybe Yukari had been just messing with him. Maybe she'd just been trying to freak him out.

Minato couldn't help but smile. He understood now. It was all just a big misunderstanding. All he needed to do was apologize and everything would go back to normal. Well, normal for SEES.


	13. The Talk

**WHO'S THE MAN? :D LackOfPaitents is. MUAHAHA! Nah. I'm not even human ^_^ Listening to the EPIC SONG "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. YEAH! Also, first ever Lovers Arcana chapter in LibreOffice.**

**PS: Sorry I've been taking so goddamn long on this. I needed a while to clear out my thoughts of exactly what I want to happen in this story.**

** PPS: Don't marry a procrastinator, kids. They never get anything done.**

** PPS: You probably shouldn't put a procrastinator on your watch list, either...**

** PPPS: FINALLY!**

**Chapter 13**

**The Talk**

The school days seemed to fly by and before everyone in SEES knew it, vacation had begun. The summer sun was hotter than ever and everything in Port Island was sweating. The black streets radiated visible heat and everything outside was far too hot to touch.

Junpei stood outside the movie theater at Port Island Station, unable to decide what to watch that day. After a moment, he looked down when he felt something drip on his hand. The Cielo Mist he was holding was sweating almost as much as he was.

After deciding he wasn't interested in watching a chick-flick, Junpei decided he'd wait it out until that comedy that looked pretty good would be starting again. He sat down on one of the benches and adjusted his hat to block the sunlight from his eyes. It was bad enough he was being baked alive, he didn't need to go blind too. He set his Cielo Mist on his knee and looked at the bright, blue sky. It was a really beautiful day...but, _damn, _was it hot!

"Hey."

Junpei jumped, startled by the sudden voice. He looked over and saw Minato sitting next to him on the bench. He grimaced.

"'Sup, dude?" Junpei said, trying to sound casual.

Minato looked up at the sky, as Junpei had been. There was a still silence between them for a few minutes. It was an uneasy silence. Anyone could tell they both wanted to say something but something else was keeping them from saying it.

Finally, a voice broke the silence.

"Hey."

Minato and Junpei looked up at Akihiko, who walked over to the bench they were at.

"I've been meaning to talk to both of you."

Minato and Junpei looked at him with an expression of bewilderment.

"Is something going on between you two and Yukari?"

Minato went pale and Junpei went red.

"Wh-What?" Minato asked, playing with his headphones. That distant, emo look he always had was gone.

"Ugh...I don't want to talk about this, either...but Mitsuru will execute me if I don't," Akihiko groaned "so, what's the deal with you three?" He looked back and forth between the two flustered boys. It was like someone just died or something. Seeing this wouldn't be something they could just get over with, he sat down on the bench next to them.

"Uh...Well..."

"She tried to seduce him." Minato said flatly.

Junpei dropped his Cielo Mist.

"Is that so?" Akihiko sighed.

He looked irritated. Who could blame him? This was awkward as hell.

"Yes. She just sort of...jumped on him, attacked him really."

Junpei thought of a billion things wrong with that statement but all he could do was sit there, jaw dropped, while his leg gets all sticky from the Cielo Mist spilled all over it.

"I see..." He said, turning to Junpei, who was writing in horror. "He _does_ look like he got attacked..."

"What? That's not what hap-"

"Yeah, he does..." Minato nodded, glancing at Junpei's dropped soda. "He's shaking so much that he dropped his Cielo Mist!"

"I've heard of that...it's called Post Traumatic Syndrome, right?"

"Guuuuys! C'mooon! This is Yuka-tan! She couldn-"

"Yep. That's what it looks like."

"Poor guy..."

"Senpai! You can't serousl-"

"It was just awful when she backed him up against the wall..."

"Is that true Junpei? Did she do that?"

"W-Well, I mean...yeah, but-"

"See? There you have it, senpai."

"Hmm...I suppose this will be worth looking into then." Akihiko stood up. "I've gotta run, but I'll see you two tonight in Tartarus." He said, swinging his jacket over his shoulder once again. Minato stood up as well.

"Well, Junpei..that's really all I wanted to talk to you about...so I guess I'll be going too."

Akihiko looked back at the two of them.

"Oh and thanks for not making that awkward." He said with a smile then continued on his way.

Junpei went pale. That wasn't awkward? He just became a rape victim somehow!

Minato smiled, not noticing that look of pure irritation on Junpei's face.

"Sorry about how I've been acting, lately. It's just...I was kind of falling for Yukari, then all that happened and I let my anger get the better of my judgment. I hope we're still okay though. What would become of the world if we let some whore like Yukari get between friends like us?" He said with a grin, patting a mortified Junpei on the back.

With that, Minato departed, listening to his MP3 player happily, leaving Junpei there, just as he was not ten minutes ago. Only now he'd regained his best friend, become a rape victim, made Akihiko's day, missed the beginning of that movie he wanted to see and had lost his Cielo Mist on his leg!

Junpei put his hands on his hat, shoving it down and yelled in frustration.

"OH, WHAT THE HELL!"


End file.
